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2003 PREVIEW: Utah State Aggies

foxsports admin

Updated Jun 6, 2014 3:00 PM ET

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Welcome to your new home Utah State. After toiling as an independent since 2000, the Aggies are now part of the Sun Belt Conference and hope to make an immediate impact. It could be a rocky first year in the league needing to replace almost all of the impact players from 2002, but the Aggies always seem to find ways to get the ball moving. Twelve starters and 44 lettermen return, but all of the key offensive components and linebacker Jesse Busta must be replaced. The 2002 Aggies lost a few heartbreakers, but also came six points away from going winless against Division-I teams. It's hard to see this team being much better with so much turnover.

You know things are tough when you went 4-7, and then have to go through a rebuilding year. Fewer programs have played more entertaining games over the last few seasons, but Utah State wouldn't mind a couple of defensive battles. Don't expect them anytime soon from this defense, but now the Aggies might not have the offense to pick up the slack.
The Schedule: For a team that needs a little bit of time, it's in big trouble. Opening the season with three road games against Utah, Nebraska and Arizona State should ensure a tough start. The Sun Belt schedule isn't much better going on the road to face two of the best teams in the league, North Texas and New Mexico State.
Best Offensive Player: Senior FB/TE Chris Cooley. He's an outstanding blocker known for burying defenders, but he's also great at catching the ball. He's the team's leading returning receiver making 31 grabs for 502 yards and four touchdowns.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB Robert Watts. It'll be a major upset if Watts doesn't lead the team in tackles. He's outstanding against the run with enough speed to handle receivers out of the backfield.
Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Travis Cox. Cox has some huge shoes to fill. If he struggles, Utah State is in huge trouble with no one behind him to take over.
The season will be a success if: Utah State wins four games. That might be asking an awful lot for a team with so many concerns. It'll take a couple of upsets to equal last year's success.
Key game: Sept. 27 vs. UL Monroe. After getting blasted in its first three games, Utah State has a week off before starting the Sun Belt schedule. A home win of ULM would do wonders for a team that might be desperate for something positive.
2002 Fun Stats: